Trent Alexander-Arnold completed his transfer to Real Madrid on Sunday and the former Liverpool defender will be forced to make some adjustments in Spain, including having to change the car he drives
Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC
Trent Alexander-Arnold is not allowed to drive his £130,000 Range Rover to Real Madrid training
Trent Alexander-Arnold has effectively been banned from driving his £130,000 Range Rover to Real Madrid's training ground. The England international officially joined Los Blancos on Sunday, signing a six-year contract after leaving boyhood club Liverpool as a free agent.
The Premier League champions received an £8.4million fee for the 26-year-old to release him early from his contract, as Real Madrid were keen for him to join their squad in time for the Club World Cup later this month.
However, as Alexander-Arnold becomes acquainted with the rest of Xabi Alonso’s team, he will have to bid farewell to the car model he’s been driving around the UK. One of Alexander-Arnold’s preferred vehicles to drive had been a Range Rover P530.
His luxury SUV boasted a 4.4 V8 twin-turbo engine that delivered 530 horsepower and a maximum torque of 750 Nm. His version of the model, which is no longer available to purchase, was priced by Land Rover at £130,000.
Equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive system, it could propel its more than 2.5 tonnes from 0 to 100km/h in 2.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 155mph.
REAL MADRID PLAYERS POSE WITH BMW VEHICLES TO RPOMOT THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE CAR MAKER AND THE CLUB.
Real Madrid have a sponsorship agreement with BMW
Yet, if the player had been hoping to ship his car over to Madrid or purchase a similar model for everyday use in Spain, he would've been sorely disappointed. That is due to Real Madrid's sponsorship agreement with BMW, which prevents players from driving any other brand of car to training, according to Spanish outlet El Motor.
Every year, the German car manufacturer supplies Real Madrid players, including the women's team and basketball team, with cars to use throughout the season. The deal only includes plug-in hybrid and electric models, which are later sold by BMW as pre-owned vehicles.
The potential disappointment for Alexander-Arnold is somewhat mitigated by the fact that he will still be able to drive a high-performance SUV like his current one – at no cost. For example, the sporty BMW XM has been a popular choice within the club.
REAL MADRID PLAYERS POSE WITH BMW VEHICLES TO RPOMOT THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE CAR MAKER AND THE CLUB.
Vinicius Junior drives a BMW i7 M70 xDrive(Image: BMW / REAL MADRID)
Both Kylian Mbappe and Alexander Arnold's England team-mate Jude Bellingham have chosen the model, which boasts 653hp and costs around £152,000. Meanwhile, Vinicius Junior opted for the slightly pricier BMW i7 M70 xDrive, which comes in at £157,000.
Alexander-Arnold appears to have quickly acclimatised to his new environment, making his first public appearance as a Los Blancos player at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. There, he met club legend Roberto Carlos, with whom he posed for a photograph.
The Liverpool academy graduate also voiced his enthusiasm towards his new chapter by replying to Real's post celebrating the arrival of new manager Alonso. He wrote "El Jefe" – which translates to 'the boss' in Spanish.